Oscar Pistorius cemented his status as the icon of the London Paralympics by winning gold in the final track event in the Olympic Stadium.
As for the star of the games, however, look no further than British wheelchair racer David Weir.
The man nicknamed the “Weirwolf of London” has become a household name in the host nation by triumphing in the 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m over the past week.
Photo: Reuters
And he completed his clean sweep of golds yesterday, timing his sprint finish to perfection to win the wheelchair marathon in blazing sunshine along the streets of the capital in 1 hour, 30 minutes, 20 seconds.
Thousands of spectators lined the route of the marathon to cheer on the 33-year-old Weir, who was competing in his home city nearly five months after winning the London Marathon for the sixth time.
“It’s just amazing, I am lost for words,” Weir said. “I knew I had to be in some sort of super-human state to win four gold medals and I’ve done it.”
Pistorius’ resounding victory in the 400m on Saturday earned the competition’s poster boy his second gold medal of the Games, adding to a victory in the 4x100m relay in a week when he surrendered his 100m and 200m titles.
The South African double amputee is the world’s most famous Paralympian, transcending the world of disabled sport and this summer becoming the first athlete to take part in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Yet, he has been overshadowed in London by Weir, whose displays at the Olympic Stadium have been greeted by a so-called “Wall of Sound” from fans down the home straight. Many teammates also took to a ritual of howling as he crossed the line, in reference to his new moniker.
“To tell you the truth, every race I did in that stadium, I didn’t feel under pressure because the crowd was behind you if you won, lost or anything,” said Weir, whose image has adorned billboards throughout the Paralympics. “It didn’t matter what position you came in, they were still behind you and they still loved you.”
Weir, who along with swimmer Ellie Simmonds and cyclist Sarah Storey is the host country’s most famous current Paralympian, was the favorite for the marathon and was among a group of six racers that broke away early as the field sped past a host of London landmarks, including St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.
As the finish line came into sight, Weir was battling with Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Kurt Fearnley of Australia for gold, and the Briton pulled away to win by a second in a season’s best time.
“I did have lots of dreams of winning four gold medals, but I think everybody has those dreams,” Weir said. “I knew I was capable of doing it.”
Tainan TSG Hawks slugger Steven Moya, who is leading the CPBL in home runs, has withdrawn from this weekend’s All-Star Game after the unexpected death of his wife. Moya’s wife began feeling severely unwell aboard a plane that landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening. She was rushed to a hospital, but passed away, the Hawks said in a statement yesterday. The franchise is assisting Moya with funeral arrangements and hopes fans who were looking forward to seeing him at the All-Star Game can understand his decision to withdraw. According to Landseed Medical Clinic, whose staff attempted to save Moya’s wife,
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt yesterday backed Nick Champion de Crespigny to be the team’s “roving scavenger” after handing him a shock debut in the opening Test against the British and Irish Lions Test in Brisbane. Hard man Champion de Crespigny, who spent three seasons at French side Castres before moving to the Western Force this year, is to get his chance tomorrow with first-choice blindside flanker Rob Valetini not fully fit. His elevation is an eye-opener, preferred to Tom Hooper, but Schmidt said he had no doubt about his abilities. “I keep an eye on the Top 14 having coached there many years
ON A KNEE: In the MLB’s equivalent of soccer’s penalty-kicks shoot-out, the game was decided by three batters from each side taking three swings each off coaches Kyle Schwarber was nervous. He had played in Game 7 of the MLB World Series and homered for the US in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), but he had never walked up to the plate in an All-Star Game swing-off. No one had. “That’s kind of like the baseball version of a shoot-out,” Schwarber said after homering on all three of his swings, going down to his left knee on the final one, to overcome a two-homer deficit. That held up when Jonathan Aranda fell short on the American League’s final three swings, giving the National League a 4-3 swing-off win after
Seattle’s Cal Raleigh defeated Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in Monday’s final to become the first catcher to win the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. The 28-year-old switch-hitter, who leads MLB with 38 homers this season, won US$1 million by capturing the special event for sluggers at Atlanta’s Truist Park ahead of yesterday’s MLB All-Star Game. “It means the world,” Raleigh said. “I could have hit zero home runs and had just as much fun. I just can’t believe I won. It’s unbelievable.” Raleigh, who advanced from the first round by less than 25mm on a longest homer tiebreaker, had his father